Under Armour

Under Armour
Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports clothing and accessories company founded in 1996, supplying performance sportswear and casual apparel.


Founder Kevin Plank produced the original concept for Under Armour because he was the “sweatiest guy on the football field” as he has explained. Frustrated by his sweat-soaked cotton T-shirts' inability to keep him dry and comfortable, Plank searched for a material that would wick the sweat from his body. Performance clothing from Under Armour has the remarkable ability of helping the body with thermoregulation by preventing the clothing from being laden with moisture from sweat, which can cause chills, especially as the temperature during the day cools off. The material of Under Armour clothing also prevents extra weight load from sweat-soaked clothing, and prevents a clamminess and other discomfort associated with sportswear.

Customer interest in the brand when a front page photo in USA Today featured Oakland Raiders quarterback Jeff George wearing an Under Armour mock turtleneck. Following the exposure on the front page, Under Armour's first major sale was celebrated, when an equipment manager from Georgia Tech requested 10 shirts from Plank. The deal opened the door to a contract with Arizona State University, North Carolina State and other Division I football teams. Word spread fast and orders began to increase. The product began to appear in fitness centers, and eventually became popular in major retailers, such as The Sport Authority and Dick's Sporting Goods. Soon Under Armour launched with several new apparel lines including ColdGear, TurfGear, AllseasonGear, and StreetGear. By year-end 1996, Under Armour had sold 500 Under Armour HeatGear shirts, generating $17,000 for the company. In 1997,  $100,000 in orders were filled and Plank found a factory in Ohio to make more shirts. In Fiscal Year 2015 for Under Armour, revenue was $3,960,000,000 with an Operating Income of $408,547,000, and a net income of $232,573,000

Under Armour began offering footwear in 2006.

Under Armour's global headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland with additional North American corporate office locations in Austin and Houston Texas; Denver, Colorado.; New York, New York; Portland, Oregon; Nashville, Tennessee; and Toronto, Canada. Under Armour's International Headquarters is located in Panama City, Panama, with Latin America offices in São Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Mexico City, Mexico.

The European headquarters for Under Armour is in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium. A major office is also located in Munich, Germany. The regional headquarters for Greater China is in Shanghai. Additional Asia Pacific offices are in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo, Japan; and Sydney, Australia.